Coupling for drill rods



June 3, 1930. c, GATES ET AL 7 1,762,057

COUPLING FOR DRILL .RODS

Filed June 29, 1929 6.6612666, I2. I44 CZd/A, PC. VVZ'ZZ6.

v iremely simple Patented'June 3, 1930 GQU BTIING r foia D ILL-eonsApplication filed J'une 29;

This invention relates toiniprovements in couplings for drill rods andthe like and has for an important object thereof the pro- 7 vision of asimple and efiicient device of this 5 character whereby thedrill andbit'shaft may be efiectually connected nected' position.

A further obj ectoftheinvention is to provide a, device of thischaracter which is ex-i rangement, durable in service and inwhich theseparate parts by their coaction with one another serve to so look) thedevice as to practically preclude all possibility .of accidentaldisengagement 0f thesa ne These and other 0b]ects we attain theconstruction and arrangementshown in the accompanying I drawings whereinfor. the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment ofourinvention and wherein like reference charactersdesignate like parts--throughout, p

In theclrawings 1 Figure 1; is a viewpartly in -section and v partly inelevation illustrating a-coupling or lock j oint fordrill rodsconstructed in accordance wlth an embodnnent of ourfinventlon;

Figure '2 1s a sectional v ew taken substan- 1 tially on the line 22 ofFigure 1; 3 Figure 3 is a fragmentary ylew in eleu;vat i =f f thelowerend .portionof the drill shaft;.- 1

Figure 415a fragmentary view in elevationof the upper endport'ion of thebit shaft; Figure-5 is a sectional view taken through the locking sleeveunapplied Referring now more particularly to the drawing the numeral10""designates a bit. shaft, the upper'end of which is providedwith" anenlargedportion 11 having a reduced extension 12. Formed at the upperend-ofthe enlarged-portion 11 is a shoulder 13.? The v extensionl2 isprovided'atits upper end with 5 an axially arranged conicalextensionl4," the base of'whichis of less size than'the upper end of theextension 12 and which according- I lyg'provides an upwardly directed.annular A shoulder 15 i The extension 12 1's provi,clejd 5% was itsexterior with lefthand serewahreads and locked in conin-its constructionand i929. seriarivoie'zaees.

GEORGE oeA'rEs, 3E2; w. CLARK, m ;P ssef wm p:m msqs ommm I l6 and theconical extension 14 isprovided a with right hand screw-threads v17.

The drill shaft18is providedat its lower end with a; circular head 19having-the same external diameter as the extension 12 and;

whichis provided with gleft ha ndscrewthreads 20." In-its lowersfacethehead 19 is V receive the conical extension 14 and having" right handscrew-threads 22" for coaction -.tl1erewith. WVhe'n the conical,eir'tension l tis 1 fully seated in the :bore 21, the lower end of thehead 19 firmly abuts the sh0ulder'15 and Y at this time the threads 20of thliead 19 and r I '65 tinuous left'hand fthread. lThe head=19jis 7connected 'withthe dril'l' shaft. 18 by all- 11p? I the threads 16 ofthe extension 12 form-a conwardly tapering shank for neck 23.

The numeral 24 designates a'locking sleeve r V provided with left handscrew-threads for provided with a conicalbore 21 adapted to coaction.withthe screw-threads of the head 19 I and extension 12. When thelocking sleeve; c .24 is in position upon thehead 19 and exten-' 5' sion12, the lower end thereof abuts the; I

shoulder 13 very firmly so as to'tighten the same against the'threads ofthe-extension 12 andlhead19. When the sleeve is in position F with thelower end thereof abutting theshouL' I der 13, the upper end thereof'projects above s so v the form of "a shoulder 25 and this portiongo'fi the upper end of the head 19 which is in the; sleeve projectingabovethe shoulder'25 i has its inner face formed with a tapered bore"which" increases upwardly and which is};

Withi-n this recess is, arranged a packer 31 formed of some resilientmaterial, such as I rubber; and is o'f a; size greater than the spacerepresented by thespace between the tapered a neck 23 and the outer wallof'the recess when the cap ieifi fully seated position this cap ie fullyseated; the lower are thereof abuts the shoulder at the upper end of thehead for a purpose presently to appear. Each section 27 a and 2'7 of thecap 27 has afiixed to an. edge thereof a dowel 33, the projecting end ofwhich is adapted to engage in a socket 34 formed in the other of thesections to align the sections. As a means for maintaining the sectionsin assembled relation and for drawing the sections together about thepacker,

each section is provided adjacent the edge thereof inits periphery witha notch or re-. .cess'3'5,ione wallof which substantially parallels theedge of'the section and is in communication therewith by a bore 36. Theopposed portion of the othersection has formed therein a threaded bore37 and a screw 38 having its shank rotatable in the bore 36 and thethreaded portion engaging the bore 37'iis extended through the bore 36and employed to draw these sections together, each of'the sections beingthus provided. When the bolt is inposition within thebore 36, the; head'39 thereof extends into close proximity to the inner wall 40. of therecess.

' This'wall isprovided with a threaded socket in'which is extended aheaded screw-thread- (ed-member 41'; the head of which abuts against thehead 39 of the screw to prevent retrac tion thereof and accordingly toprevent any separation of the sections of the head( In assembling'thedevice, the drill shaft 18'is first connected to the bit shaft byengaging :the conical extension 14 in the socket or bore 21. The sleeve24 is'then placed in posi tion and-firmly seated with the results abovesetvforth. The packer 31 which is formed with a tapered split 31 is thenplaced about the shaft and the cap '27 assembled thereon. This cap is,as above stated, formed in two sections -27 "and;27 "assembled -'aboutthe shaft 18-and,packerf31-. It is apparent that the "packer beforementioned being slightly larger' than the inner face of the cap, when 7h i loosened for the'purpose of releasing; its compression on the wallof the stem, the action would'expand the two parts of 'gthe cap,therefore, the action ,of thelocking bolt firmly uniting the-two parts.Also that the pin-serves an extra purpose in holding; the two parts onan equal vertical plane elimir' ating the possibilityof mismatchingthreads ,on? the parts. 'Furthermore as the wrenches-necessary"to'breaking and setting lb effore described in order that'the weightofthejoints rest on the top of'the cap, it is apparent that the capshould'be strongly reinforced'as by the action of these pinshereinthe=w'r1e1'mhe may'n0t displace either portion which occurshould thetwohalves not be m r ne edhe ap nepa fa m lv i' the mov d d wnw d y t lthe a thesi Qf h ldwr e 'o he ep hi h'are r ght. hand ngage thelrig he ih e ds' Y 321 formed 'upon the, upwardly enlarging.por-

1 are sle e the; i r teta by m a s of a wrench until the lower endthereof firmly abuts the shoulder 25. This abutment causes the cap 27toexert an upward pull upon the sleeve 24 and a downward thrust upon thehead 19 further locking together the threads of the sleeve and head 19and of the head 19 and the extension 14. In addition this downwardmovement reduces the size of 'the annular recess formed by theenlargement of the tapered bore 28 of the cap and the packer 31 isaccordingly further compressed and has a" tendency to move upwardlywithin the capwhere the tapered upper end 30 forces it inwardly againstthe tapered neck 23 of the shaft 18. By this means a friction lock isapplied to the cap preventing rotation thereof and since the cap isreversely threaded as respects the sleeve 24-, rotation of both the capand sleeve is effectually prevented.

From the foregoing it is believed to be obvious that a couplingconstructed in ac-.

cordance with our invention willefl'ectually prevent disengagement ofthe drill and bit shafts and is at the same'time one which may be veryreadily applied and cheaply constructed. While we have described thecoupling for the specific purpose of connecting these shafts, it will,of course, be obvious that the same may be employed as a connection forsucker rod joints or any other form of rod coupling whi'chmay bedesired. We,

portion adjacent the extension, a conical extension formed uponthe-upper end of'sai d extension and having screw-threads adapted tocoact with. the screw threads of said bore,

the exterior of said extension and said head being oppositelyscrew-threaded to the screw-threads of said conical extension and bore,a sleeve having its lower end provided with screw-threadsadapted toengage thecircular head 'and extension and having its lower extremityadapted for engagement with said flange, the upper'end of said sleevebeingoppositely screw-threaded to -the lower .end thereof, a caphaving acentral aperture adapted to receive the drill shaft, said cap beingexteriorly screw-threaded for engagement with the threads of the upperend of the sleeve, the aperture of the cap being enlarged to form aboutthe shaft when the cap is in position thereon an annular recess, apacking element located in said recess and formed'of compressiblematerial, the packing element 7 being normally of asize Egreater'thanthe space between the walls of the recess and the bit. stem and beingcompressedby the enextension,

gagement of the cap with said sleeve, the lower end of said cap abuttingthe upper end of said circular head. 1 V e 2. In a couplingof the classdescribed, the combination with a drill and bit shaft, one of which isprovided with a reduced threaded extension and the-other of whichisprovided with athreaded socket adapted to receive the the exterior ofthe shafts adjacent the ends thereof beingthreaded oppositely to thethreads of the socket and extension, a

sleeve provided with interior screw-threads at one end thereof andadapted for engage ment with theexterior threads of said shafts:

. tion of theshaft, the cap being provided upon its exterior withscrew-threads adapted for the last named screw- I packing elementadapted for engagement in the groove of the than said groove, saidengagement ,with 30 and at the opposite end upon its interior with anoppositely threaded portion extending about one of the shafts adjacentthe exteriorly threaded end thereof, the last named I shaft beingprovided adjacent such threaded portion a groove, adapted for thereception of the tapered porthreads of the sleeve, and a cap of greatersize 7 packing element being compressible.

V In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix,

our signatures. g v

, GEORGE C. GATES.

REX W. CLARK.

with a tapered reduction, ofacap I having a tapered bore formed in itsface, with the tapered bore of the cap being REsLAYoWILLsi-

